1. Force of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to optical disk drives, and particularly to a guide mechanism for an optical disk drive to guide an optical pick-up head thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical optical disk drive emits a laser beam to record information to an optical disk or reproduce information from the optical disk. The optical disk drive usually includes a chassis, a spindle motor, an optical pick-up head, and a guide mechanism. The chassis is configured for supporting other components. The spindle motor is used for rotating the optical disk. The optical pick-up head is configured for emitting the laser beam onto the optical disk to perform a read operation or a write operation. The guide mechanism is configured for guiding the optical pick-up head to move along a radial direction of the optical disk, in order to move the laser beam to specific areas of the optical disk.
A conventional structure of the guide mechanism generally includes two guide rails, a carriage, a conduct device, and a stepping motor. The guide rails are fixed on the chassis. The carriage receives the optical pick-up head and is slidably supported on the guide rails. The conduct device is configured for conducting a driving force from the stepping motor to the carriage. Therefore, in operation, the carriage holding the optical pick-up head is driven along the guide rails by the driving force. The carriage includes two engaging portions, and each engaging portion engages with a corresponding guide rail. In detail, a first engaging portion defines a slot therein, and a corresponding guide rail can be slidably received in the slot, while a second engaging portion defines a hole, and which the other guide rail passes through the hole.
In order to reduce friction, the engaging portion and the corresponding guide rail cooperatively defines a clearance therebetween. However, this clearance introduces play or instability when the optical pick-up head moves along the guide rails.
Therefore, improvements for a guide mechanism are needed in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiency.